Mistletoe extract offers the kiss of life for cancer sufferers

It's an annual excuse for a stolen kiss but could also improve effectiveness of cancer treatments.

IT IS a European Christmas tradition, and an annual excuse for a stolen kiss.

But University of Canberra researchers are investigating how mistletoe can be used to improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments and give sufferers a better quality of life.

Associate professor of biomedical sciences Luby Simson said research showed the plant contained active molecules that helped stimulate the immune system in preparedness to get rid of the cancer cell or directly attacked the cancer cell itself, and a toxin in mistletoe berries contributed to the effectiveness of mistletoe treatments.

She said mistletoe extract was already used in Europe as a complementary cancer treatment, but was not widely offered to Australian patients.

She and doctorate scholar Bilquis Ara are working with German pharmaceutical manufacturer Abnoba on improving the delivery of mistletoe treatment by enclosing it in fatty liposome capsules rather than injecting the extract directly into the muscle of the patient.

Liposome is commonly used to deliver other cancer treatments. It works to disguise its content from the immune system until it reaches the cancer cell and is released.

''The trick here is that when it gets to the cancer cell, you actually want the payload to be released and stimulate the immune system, but you want it to be stimulated specifically in the area of the cancer cell,'' Dr Simson said.

She said overseas cancer patients who had received mistletoe treatments also reported generally feeling better.

At this stage, mistletoe treatments are only offered in Australia to end-stage clinical patients who had no other alternative treatments.